Jerusalem

 June 18, 2021

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised In the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, Is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, The city of the great King.” —Psalm 48:1-2 

I was able to write this from memory because years agoIt was a praise chorus we sang regularly. All the psalms are songs; I wonder how much more we would remember if we sang them. Even replaying the melody in my head brings a special joy that the words alone don’t fully convey. It makes me wonder why this was chosen as a praise chorus. What is so special about this particular city that it it is the basis for so many songs? Why is it a magnet for people who have only read about it? “Next year in Jerusalem” has long been the prayer and desire of devout Jews, even those who in their lifetime never wandered more than fifty miles from their homes.

It’s an ancient city, built, destroyed, and rebuilt countless times since David captured it from the Jebusites some 3,000 years ago. Since then, it has held the hearts and minds of Jews, Christians, and Muslims—the only city in the world that is the epicenter of the three great Monotheistic religions.

I think it holds its place in our hearts because it is as the psalm says, “the city of our God, Yahweh.” The city is great because our God is great, and for reasons unknown to me, he chose this place for his dwelling. Faithful ones who have never set eyes upon it nevertheless long to see it. ANd never having seen the heavenly city, we long for it because it is the dwelling place of our God. 

Even so, come. Lord Jesus! Receive us to yourself and to the eternal home for which we long and pray.